Thinking Activity : The Waste Land

 Hello friends,

I am Bhavna Sosa, a student of the Department of English,MKBU.This blog is the part of my classroom activity that is given by our Prof. Dr.Dilip Barad sir.

 First of all I would like to give a brief introduction about this poet and poem.

About T. S. Eliot :-

Thomas Stearns Eliot was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor. Considered one of the 20th century's major poets, he is a central figure in English-language Modernist poetry. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a prominent Boston Brahmin family, he moved to England in 1914 at the age of 25 and went on to settle, work, and marry there.He became a British citizen in 1927 at the age of 39, subsequently renouncing his American citizenship.

About Poem :-

The Waste Land is a long poem by T. S. Eliot, widely regarded as one of the most important poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry.

Published in 1922, the 434-line poem first appeared in the United Kingdom in the October issue of Eliot's The Criterion and in the United States in the November issue of The Dial. It was published in book form in December 1922.

Among its famous phrases are "April is the cruellest month", "I will show you fear in a handful of dust", and the mantra in the Sanskrit language "Shantih shantih shantih".

The poem's structure is divided into five sections.

1)"The Burial of the Dead"

2)"A Game of Chess"

3) "The Fire Sermon"

4) "Death by Water"

5)"What the Thunder Said"

1) What are your views on the following image after reading 'The Waste Land'? Do you think that Eliot is regressive as compared to Nietzche's views? or Has Eliot achieved universality of thought by recalling mytho-historical answer to the contemporary malaise?

 I think of the Eliot view as regressive compared with the Nietzsche view as progressive. No doubt Eliot had historical sense and tried to explain univer problems with the reference of religion. So his work may have become a universal reality of human beings. While Nietzsche talked about the practical truth of humanity.

Nietzsch was a German philosopher, cultural,critic,composer,poet, philologist and Latin and Greek scholar whose work has exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history.

Then I think he was better in various fields than Eliot. Because he was not only a great historian but also a great scholar who thought in various ways and also gave solutions to the problem of contemporary crisis in faith and self.

2) Prior to the speech, Gustaf Hellström of the Swedish Academy made these remarks:

What are your views regarding these comments? Is it true that giving free vent to the repressed 'primitive instinct' leads us to a happy and satisfied life? or do you agree with Eliot's view that 'salvation of man lies in the preservation of the cultural tradition'?

Frued is believed in individuality and talks about "primitive instinct '' whereas Eliot believed in preservation of cultural traditions which means all together.

I disagree with Eliot. By suppressing the desires or by controlling it the desire gets stronger and it also affects at psychological level. It is better to give free vent to primitive instincts as Freud suggests. 

3)Write about allusions to the Indian thoughts in 'The Waste Land'. (Where, How and Why are the Indian thoughts referred?)

1) The Fire Sermon :-

“The Fire Sermon” is also the name of one of the sermons given by Buddha. 

Here Eliot gave the same name to the third part of his poem. The whole poem describe the theme of sexual perversion and by referring to this sermon of Buddha because he also wants to convey a message to stay detached from all the senses.

2) River Ganga and Himalaya :-

"Ganga was sunken, and the limp leaves

Waited for rain, while the black clouds

Gathered far distant, over Himavant."

River Ganga is known for its purity and also for purification. While Himalaya is known for spirituality and peace. Eliot finds the solution of all contemporary problems in spirituality. That is the reason he refers to Ganga and Himalaya here.

3) What The Thunder Said :-

In Upanishad the Prajapati spoke the message of salvation through thunder which was called “Akashvani”. Here Eliot also gives reference to Thunder to convey that now the solution of all problems will be given by Thunder, that is the reason he gave name to his 5th part of poem “What the Thunder Said”.

4) Three DA :-

DA-

Datta means to give 

 DA-

Dayadhvam means sympathise

DA-

Damyata means Self Control

5) Shantih, Shantih, Shantih :-

The Shantih mantra is for inner peace, peace that passes understanding. Eliot ends his poem with this mantra and with hope. The hope of re-birth, end of modern malaises, and growth of spirituality. To show the hope he ends this poem with Shantih mantra.

Thank you 

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